Fastener member and fastener installation



Jan. 16, 1940.

A. DE VITO ET AL 2,187,303 FASTENER MEMBER AND FASTENER INSTALLATION Y Filed Sept. 21, 1938 Inveaiora" 119E319? DeViiO. Ffi-eden'ci: Lzhcsmann.

Patented Jan. 16," 1940 I l UNI TED STATES PATENT o Price INSTALLATION AlberhDe Vito and"Frederick Liessmann, Chi- :cago; Ill.',assigno1-sto Electrical ResearchLahoratories, Illinois Inc Chicago; 111., a corporation of .Application 'september 21, 1938, Serial No. 231;!)04 j 1 Our inventionaims to provide improvements in fastenermembers :such as :are used for securing electrical or other units to lations of the same.

Referring to Ithetdrawing; which illustrates a preferred embodiment of my invention:

showing my improved fastener members in posi tion. to be moved into final attached position;

Fig. 6; and. i

Fig. 8 is a section taken along the line 8-8 i of Fi l. i

Fig. 5 is a section taken of Fig. 4;

a support and instal tion taken along the line 3-3.

along the line Fig. 6 is a frontview of my improved fastener member per so with the fastener slightly enlarged in width; i i

Fig. '7 is a side view of the fastener shown. in a The installation which we have chosen. for purposesof illustrating our invention comprises i an article of manufacture in the form of a condenser can I of 1 the type commonly used in electrical apparatus detachably secured to a supporting panel 2 by means of our improved fastener members 3. One end of each of the fastener members 3 is adapted to be rigidly secured to a side of the can i while the other end extending below a lower edge of the can has attaching means in fastener engagement with the supporting;

Each of panel 2 through an opening thereof.

3 4 of the panel (Fig. 4).

the last-mentioned openings in our preferred form comprises a rectangular main portion 4 and a smaller rectangular opening 5 having smaller longitudinal and transverse dimensions than the main opening 4 and formed adjacent a side 4 of the main opening 4 so as to intersect the latter.

It will be understood from the-description hereinbelow set forth that the can [I is assembled with the support through moving the fastener members into first position (Figs. 4 and 5) within the openings of thepanel 2 and then by a. suitable tool forcing shoulders provided by the fas tener membersvthrough theo-penings into final attached position in engagement with an opposite surface of the panel fromthat upon which the can 2 is disposediFigs. 1, 2, 3 and8).

Referring specifically to our preferred form of fastener member .33 illustrated in Figs."6 and7, we :have shown one made from one pieceof ribbon like :sheet metal. The #fastener ,member has a leg portion fi provided' with apertures 1 for receiving rivets .8 (Figs; 52 and .4) "whereby the fastener is secured to the article to be attached to the support 2 and an attaching portion :9 joined to the lowermost end l0, of the leg 6 by a fold II. The attaching portion 9 extends upwardly in relation to the end Ill of the leg and attaching portion 9 we'have provided a reduced portion l2 spaced inwardly from opposite lateral edges of the attaching portion 9 and providing shoulders l3-l3 adjacent its opposite sides, as

most clearly shown in Fig. 6. 1

Assembly of the component parts of our installation is a relatively'simple matter and is preferably carried out through securing the fasteners 3yto inner surfaces of opposed walls I (Figs. 2 and 4) by the rivets B in such a way that portions of the. fastener members extend beyond the lower edge of the can." Next the can is "moved toward the panel so as to dispose the fastener members 3 in first position with those normally slightly outwardly relative tothe leg, i as 'shownin. Fig. 7. At the outermost end of the portions of the same extending beneath the lower 7 edge of the can positioned within the openings When the fastener members are in this position the respective attaching portions 9 engage the sides 4' of the main openings 4, as most clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5 Next, downward pressure isexerted uponeach of the attaching portions 9 as by a suitable tool (not shown) engaging with the outermost free end of the respective reduced portion l2. Dur- .ingthis action the attaching portion9 is contractedagainst the tension of the fold. Has a result of the fact that portions of the attaching portion 9 are at a greater distance from the 1eg'6 than the distance between the side 4 and an opposite side M of the opening 4 so as to enable the shoulders l3--l3 to pass through the open-. ing. Finally, the shoulders i3--|3 expand after passage through the openingto engage behind the lower surface of the panel 2 adjacent the edge 4 whereupon the fastener members are rigidly secured to the support. When the shoulders |3-| 3 are in final flxed engagement with thejsupport, the reduced portion l2 isreceived by the smaller. opening 5, as most clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Thusit will be seen that by our invention we haveprovided fastener members of simple and inexpensive construction capable of rigidly securing an article of manufacture, Such as a conclaims.

35 for the purpose described.

a I; i

We claim:

of the class described comprising a leg portion for securing said fastener to a partto be attached to a support and a portion'joined to the lowermost end of the leg portion by a fold, said attaching portion being normally yieldable toward and away from Said leg portion against thetension provided by said fold and being normally substantially parallel with atleast a portion of said leg, and said attaching portion having a reducedportion atits outermost end and shoulders on opposite sides of said reduced portion 2. In combination, a support having a main aperture and a smaller opening adjacent a side of said main aperture, an article of manufacture and a fastener member carried by said article for securing said article to said support, said fastener member having a leg portion secured to said article and an upwardly-extending attaching portion joined to the lowermost end of said leg portion by a fold, the distance between said attaching portion and said leg being normally greater than one dimension of said main opening of said support, said attaching portion having a reduced portion at its outermost end and a shoulder on one side of said reduced portion, said attaching portion contracting against the tension provided by said fold to move said shoulder through the main aperture of said support, and said attaching portion expanding to move said shoulder behind a surface of said support, and said reduced portion being received within said smaller opening of said support.

ALBERT DE vrro. FREDERICK LIESSMANN. 

